Harry and the Hendersons (1987)

Directed by William Dear. Starring John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Don Ameche, David Suchet, Joshua Rudoy, Margaret Langrick, Lainie Kazan, M. Emmet Walsh, Kevin Peter Hall. [PG]

Coming back from a family camping trip, Lithgow runs over Bigfoot with his car and takes it home…but the big lug ain’t dead. Unsuccessful comic fantasy aimed at kids, preferably the ones who haven’t seen the movies of which it’s so blatantly derivative, chiefly E.T. (Steven Spielberg is an uncredited executive producer). Rick Baker’s Oscar-winning makeup design and effects are pretty good, but “Harry” is more a symbol than a character. Instead of zeroing in on learning about the creature or letting the sincere and slapstick scenarios arise naturally, the story gets sidetracked by an obsessed hunter, an anthropologist’s reborn passion, and Bigfoot being on the loose yet again. There are too few moments of discovery, awe, understanding or bonding—Harry is simply a big, cuddly thing who does clumsy and “cute” things for the amusement of the ten-and-under crowd—and the film’s limp message of peace, love and vegetarianism could have used more support in the hands of a script doctor. Also known as Bigfoot and the Hendersons in several overseas markets. Turned into a TV-series in the early-90s.

42/100